Living with Peanut

The past few weeks have been amazing weather-wise here in NH and I’ve been trying to take advantage of that (and keep my sanity) by keeping Paige outside and busy. We’re lucky that there’s a great park right down the road from her daycare (and from our old apartment).

I originally got to the park with Paige by myself and Marc was going to meet us there. Paige is used to an audience so she’s attracted to the areas where the other kids are – no big deal. She saw a couple of older girls (tweenagers, if I had to guess) doing the monkey bars. She asked to try and I helped. These two girls came over and showed Paige how to “properly” do the monkey bars and as much as Paige wanted, she couldn’t do them by herself.

I gladly helped and one of the girls asked me why I was helping my daughter…when I explained that she was too short and did not have enough strength to do the monkey bars by herself, they started calling her a baby and asked if she needed her mommy to change her diaper.

Shocked? Me too.

I didn’t know what to say…what to do. The parenting manual I received was missing this vital bit of chapter: How to Deal with a Bully in the Playground With Your Almost 3 Year Old.

I looked for their parents – no one there. So I did the best thing I could do…say something.

I told these girls that Paige was still little and if she needed a little help then I’d be more then willing to do so. That they were once this little and needed things done for them or help doing stuff. Then I told them to get away from my kid or I was going to find their parent and tell them what these girls were doing.

I’m grateful that Paige doesn’t understand what these girls were saying, or the seemingly malicious intent behind it. I’m grateful that I was there. But I’m so disappointed. And scared. Did I react correctly? What should I have done? What will I teach Paige to do?

For now? I’ll look over at my little girl and say a prayer that for now, she’s safe and doesn’t understand what bullying is.